Cohabiting associated with higher divorce rates

I have been regularly flummoxed when I hear young people say that they want to live together to make sure that they are compatible.  It runs along the same lines as parents who (unfortunately) tell their children that they should try out several sexual partners to make sure that they are "compatible."  This is frankly not supported. 

In an interesting article in the NY Times, The Downside of Cohabiting Before Marriage, clinical psychologist Meg Jay discusses "the cohabitation effect".  She writes, "But that belief is contradicted by experience. Couples who cohabit before marriage (and especially before an engagement or an otherwise clear commitment) tend to be less satisfied with their marriages — and more likely to divorce — than couples who do not. These negative outcomes are called the cohabitation effect."

Unfortunately, though she hints at caution in cohabitation, she does not suggest people avoid it altogether. Clearly, this article also does not rest upon a covenental view of marriage, which likely strengthens bonds as well.

I would commend the full article to you.